The Bounty Hunters Trap
by Slowcoach Campbell
Summary: During a lull in the Clone Wars Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Padawan Ahsoka Tano, the resourceful and dependable Captain Rex and the cowardly and untrustworthy Captain Hawk, are dispatched on a undercover mission. At stake, the Jedi Templ itself.
1. Introduction

**Introduction:**

During a lull in the Clone Wars Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Padawan Ahsoka Tano, the resourceful and dependable Captain Rex and the cowardly and untrustworthy Captain Hawk, are dispatched on a top secret undercover mission. At stake, the Jedi Temple, and every Master, Knight, Padawan and Youngling in it.

**Back-story:** Formerly sergeant, now captain, Hawk of the 501st legion is an extremely unusual clone. He is defective; a liar, a coward and a disgrace to the Grand Army of the Republic. He should have been disposed of by the Kaminoans soon after birth, and would have been, if it was not for a talent for concealing his true personality. In spite of his loathing for combat and battle he has earned a reputation as a hero of the Republic and great respect from the Jedi Order. Captain Hawk lives in constant fear that his secret will be discovered and that he will one day be revealed as the fraud that he is. His only hope is to continue to play the part of the brave hero and hope for the best.

I do not own _Star Wars_; the character of Sergeant Hawk was inspired by George McDonald Fraser's character Harry Flashman, of the _Flashman Papers_.

As always, please review, I love reading your comments.


	2. Chapter 1: An Unwelcome Mission

Chapter 1: An Unwelcome Mission 

During the course of a regrettably long and eventful military carrier I have seen my fair share of massive scale battles, sieges and invasions. A few names that spring to mind include Christophsis, Kamino and of course that most vile of planets Geonosis (not to mention any number of set piece battles during my Imperial days, many of which I only survived by the skin of my teeth). However, after becoming an ARC trooper I also, unwillingly, took part in a number of more covert operations; undercover missions, spying behind enemy lines, commando raids, that sort of thing. As I have already written of the part I played in one of the most major (and most terrifying) battles of my carrier I have decided to set down an account of an example of one of the aforementioned covert missions that I took part in (or rather was dragged kicking and screaming into).

If you have studied the historical documents and documentaries concerning the Clone Wars you may have come to the conclusion that it was a time of constant conflict, galaxy wide total war, and you'd be right, for the most part. However several times during the war hostilities all but ceased between the Republic and the Separatists, not because each side had finally realised the madness of what they were doing, but simply because of a shortage of manpower. The Republic had recently had a string of victories on several key worlds, but at a terrible cost in clone lives. We had taken so many casualties in fact that we had little choice but to stay on the defensive for a while, until the Kaminoans could cooked up a fresh batch of clones to replace those lost on the front lines. Meanwhile the rash of defeats suffered by the Seps had hit them very hard, having lost tens of thousands of droids and more importantly several key droid production centers, meaning that they too had no option but to sit back and wait for Poggle and his minions to rebuild their forces back up to full strength.

Consequently both sides were in no condition to perform any large scale operations, resulting in a lull in the conflict, due in no way to a lack of motive, but entirely to a lack means. However as you might expect with no battles or invasions occurring there was a drastic increase in terrorist attacks, special ops missions and spying and counter spying between the two sides. Therefore when I heard that General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Captain Rex were all being summoned to a meeting with the Jedi High Council I immediately came to the conclusion that the three of them were being assigned some Force forsaken mission to kidnap Wat Tambor or steel Nute Gunray's hat, or something equally idiotic. Well good luck to them was all I could say; I was due some hard earned leave and was looking forward to enjoying every blissful moment of it whilst Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex battled their way through hordes of Seps and Sith.

I hadn't been requested and the mission was nothing to do with me, so I didn't let it bother me over much. In fact I barely thought about it as the _Resolute_ made its way back to Coruscant, and consequently did not foresee the terrible ramifications of accepting a lift down to the surface with the General, the Commander and the Captain.

"Well if it's no trouble sir?" I said saluting Skywalker.

Anakin shook his head "No trouble at all Hawk, glad we could help".

I took a seat at the rear of the transport and closed my eyes; I hate flying, at least I have ever since Geonosis, and so I generally try to sleep through flights of this nature to get them over quickly. The last thing I noticed before dropping off (I am one of those lucky individuals blessed with the ability to fall asleep and wake up at will, extremely useful during dull debriefings) was General Skywalker taking his seat behind the pilot so that he could more easily heckle him with semi-useful advice and criticism for the duration of the flight, whilst Captain Rex and Commander Tano chose to sit together a few rows in front of me.

I reckon that my subconscious is considerably smarter than I am, because during the brief flight I had an extremely odd dream; less a dream, more a premonition of things to come. I was standing in one of the huge columned halls of the Jedi Temple, in the midst of a large crowd of Jedi Knights, Masters and Padawans. I turned and swore in alarm, for towards the far left hand side of the hall stood General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku and Savage Opress, all, for some reason, wearing Galactic Cup shirts. Master Yoda was standing in front of General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Captain Rex; dressed ridiculously in a black and white striped robe, with a whistle hanging around his neck. He shook his head sadly and said "will have to forfeit the match we will; play a four-a-side game with only three players on the Republic team, we cannot".

Skywalker, Ahsoka and Rex all began to clamor over the unfairness of Referee Yoda's decision when suddenly Master Kenobi stepped forth and said "Master Yoda, we need not cancel the match, look, here is your forth player" and so saying pointed directly at me. I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach in shock and started to shout that I couldn't because I was supposed to be going on leave and besides why couldn't you play, Force damn you? Suddenly I jerked awake to find Rex and Ahsoka looking down at me, the captain's hand on my shoulder, and both of them looking concerned.

"You alright Hawk?" asked Rex, his honest face set in a worried frown.

"You were moaning in your sleep" said Ahsoka "you're not ill are you?"

I straightened up and shook my head "just a bad dream commander, nothing to worry about. Have we arrived?" I added looking out of the shuttles porthole.

Rex nodded "pretty much, we're just landing now". And so we were, the shuttle touched down gently outside the Jedi Temple and as the transport door slid back I gasped in amazement at the sheer size and magnificence of the place. One day I would see it in flames, with black smoke billowing through the high windows and its inhabitant dead or dying, but just then it seemed like the most serene and unworldly place I had ever seen (and I grew up on Kamino).

Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex walked down the shuttles access ramp, advancing to meet them were two Jedi Masters, one that I recognized and one that I didn't. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi strode forward smiling cheerfully, greeting each by name and asking how they found themselves. His companion simply nodded to each; he was a tall thin man, with dark grey hair, a great beak like nose, bright searching eyes and dressed in a grey cloak, and a white tunic and trousers. I hovered uncertainly by the shuttle door, somehow feeling obliged to remain until the Jedi knights and the clone captain had departed. The unknown Jedi nodded and then said "excellent you are all here; Master Kenobi will escort you to the council, who will enlighten you as to the details of your mission".

Anakin frowned "but Master Skouras, I thought this was your plan, your mission? Aren't you going to be the one that explains it to us?"

Master Skouras shook his head "no young Skywalker, there are some last minute details to attend to, details which I much see to personally. I have explained the mission to the council; they will be more than able to in turn explain it to you without my assistance". The old Jedi turned to Kenobi "I must be going then, may the Force be with you".

"And with you" said Master Kenobi bowing and as Skouras turned and hurried away across the plaza Obi-Wan smiled and said "well then, there's no reason to waste time standing here, follow me". Well that was my cue to leave for a few days of uninterrupted relaxation, with no fire, blasters or hellish near death experiences. I turned and began to stroll away in the direction of an excellent pub I remembered from my last visit to Coruscant when suddenly Kenobi called out "is that you Captain Hawk?"

I ground to a halt, happy visions of alcohol in large quantities and attractive barmaids evaporating before my eyes. I turned on the spot "Sir?" I answered with no little trepidation.

Obi-Wan smiled broadly and advanced on me, returning me salute "why Hawk it's been to long! When did we last meet, the invasion of Kamino wasn't it?" I shuddered, the memory of that nightmarish battle still fresh in my mind; with that mechanical demon Grievous on one hand and that banshee of a Sith Ventress on the other it was nothing short of miracle that I made it off that dratted water world in one piece (but that's a tale for another time)!

"Yes sir I believe you're right" I answered, trying to sound as if I was thinking '_ahh those were the day_s', rather '_I feel physically sick with terror just thinking about it'_.

Obi-Wan looked at me in a thoughtful way for a long moment and then seemed to reach a conclusion "yes" he said at last "you're a fine trooper Captain Hawk, one of the best" and then went on, more to himself than to me "I can't see why not, no reason it would cause any drastic changes. An extra pair of eyes and an extra blaster, why not eh?"

I couldn't make head or tail of the Jedi's gibberish and could only reply with an even more hesitant than before "sir?"

"I think that you had better follow me to the council chamber as well Captain Hawk; all will be explained in a short time". And so saying the Jedi turned on his heel and started to walk towards the temple's main doors, calling over his shoulder "come now gentlemen, and lady, time is of the essence".

I'm sure there was something that I could have said that would have got me out of the vile situation that I found myself in, some clever excuse that in no way reflected badly on me, but I'm damn if I can think what it was. I had no choice but to follow Master Kenobi and the others into the temple. Whilst racking my brain for some way out I was once again struck by the magnificence of the place. Great pillared halls and vaulted ceilings, huge stairways as wide as a dozen AT-TEs, and everywhere an all prevailing sense of peace and stillness. Such was the effect that even I felt my fear subside, even if only a little. As we strode through the temple Skywalker bombarded Kenobi with questions about the mission but the older Jedi would not be drawn "in good time Anakin" he said, sounding as wise and irritating as usual "you must learn to have patience".

Meanwhile Captain Rex, Commander Tano and I walked together, with Ahsoka doing all the talking, as both Rex and I were too overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of the place to say anything more than the occasional '_really_' or '_you don't say'_. "That's the great halls through there, and that's the door to the library. Down that corridor are the dormitories for the Younglings and the one next to it leads to the Padawan's apartments. My room's down there but I don't use it much, I'm always on the _Resolute_". The prattle reminded me just how young our commander really was; it was easy to forget that she was really only a teenager, admittedly one that battled Sith assassins and droid hordes on a daily basis. Although it must be remembered that she was older than we were of course, clone aging is accelerated you know. I should have died decades ago, if not from a lightsaber's blade or a blaster's bolt, then from old age. Luckily for me the Kaminoans discovered a way to slow the aging process in clones to an ordinary rate; hence why I'm still here reminiscing when so many of my brothers have gone the way of the Jedi. But I digress.

At last Kenobi led us to a set of grey lift doors made of some metal that I didn't recognize. "Here we are" he said pressing one of the buttons on a panel beside the lift to summon it "I'm afraid that it may well be something of a tight squeeze but I'm sure we'll manage". When the lift finally arrived I was inclined to doubt him. The thing was clearly designed for two people and we intended on asking it accommodate four grown men, two of whom were in full battle dress, and a young women, whose montrals were in constant danger of taking somebody's eye out. Against all the laws of physics and probability Obi-Wan somehow managed to crush us all into the lift, finally squeezing in himself. When the lift doors pinged open, after what felt like an eternity, we all almost fell out on mass into the council chamber. Well all I'll say is that either you won't find better poker faces between here and Hoth or one of the requirements of becoming a Jedi Master is having your sense of humour surgically removed, for there wasn't so much as half concealed smile or a stifled snigger.

Master Kenobi straightened his robe, cleared his throat and stepped forward "Masters, I bring before you Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex and Captain Hawk of the 501st Legion".

Master Yoda peered at me across his interlocked green fingers "chosen for this mission Master Skouras did young Skywalker, his apprentice and Captain Rex, but who is the forth, hmmm?"

Before I could say 'Oh right then, I'll...err...just be going then shall I?' Kenobi said quickly "Master Yoda, members of the Council, I would like to humbly suggest that Captain Hawk too should be one of those dispatched upon this mission. I can promise you that he is an exceptional trooper, truly exceptional, and I feel sure that he will be an asset to the success of the operation".

Any hopes I had that the council might decide that they didn't want me on their rotten mission was quashed when Master Luminara Unduli got to her feet "I also will vouch for Captain Hawk; on Geonosis he witnessed my capture by a horde of undead Geonosians, and wished to attempt my rescue, even though it would have meant certain death for him. He however knew what he must do and, going against his natural instincts, returned to Master Kenobi and his forces, and led them to me. He then played a pivotal part in saving me from a fate worse than death". The Mirialan Jedi smiled at me and bowed "once again captain, I thank you" (she always fancied me you know). Well it was all bilge of course, although Luminara wasn't to know it. I had seen her being dragged away by a pack of those shambling demons, but hadn't turned tail and run to go and report my sighting to Kenobi, I hadn't even know he was down in those damned tunnels! Admittedly upon meeting up with him and his sidekick Skywalker I had led them to her, but not through choice.

Of course the Jedi simply lapped it up, with Ki-Adi-Mundi nodding approvingly, Shaak Ti smiling at me as if I was a favourite nephew and Aayla Secura looking positively thrilled at my supposed heroics. Even Mace Windu unbent sufficiently to glower at me with slightly less ferocity than he had been up until this point. Well I thrive on this sort of attention, especially when some of the adoration is being directed at me by such attractive females as Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli and Shaak Ti. I put on my modest hero routine "well it was a bad business, didn't feel right leaving you Ma'am, went against the grain, glad it all worked out for the best" and so on. I suppose you're thinking it was stupid of me to further entrench in the Jedi council's minds that I was a must have for the mission, but in truth by now I had realized that I was already as good as going. I decided that I might as well take as much credit for it as I could.

"Very well" said Mace Windu at last "Captain Hawk will also assigned to this operation". He stared at me sternly "I hope captain that you prove to be as valuable to the mission as Master Kenobi and Master Unduli have assured us you will be".

I saluted smartly "I hope I prove worthy of their faith in me sir".

"So do I" the Jedi replied, unsmilingly.

I didn't have long to wait to hear what monstrous madness the Jedi Council had cooked up for us. Master Yoda looked deadly serious as he said at last "In grave danger the Jedi temple is. Uncovered a plot to destroy our sanctuary and are Order, Master Skouras has".

"But how?" asked Skywalker appalled "how do these...these...terrorists plan to destroy the temple?"

Yoda sighed "placed at secret locations within the building, explosives will be. Discover who are the perpetrators, vital it is".

I've always found the little green masters backwards talk a little difficult to understand, so consequently I was a bit behind everyone else in realising the situation. But when I finally did work out what the doddering old Jedi was driving it at I shuddered. In a nut shell this Master Skouras had discovered a plot by insurgents (Separatists I'd bet my blaster) to blow up the Temple and every Jedi in it. The loss of the Jedi Order would have meant a crushing blow to the Republics moral (ironic really, as the Order only had less than a year left to live) and there's no doubt about it, we clones would sorely miss the Jedi on the battle field. Master Skouras's plan was to send in an undercover team of three (now four), scout out Coruscant's criminal underworld, try to discover who was behind the plot and then stop them.

Ahsoka frowned and voiced exactly the flaw which I had noticed straight off the bat "err but Master Yoda, we can't go undercover. Master Skywalker's the chosen one, everyone knows his face, and Rex and Hawk are clones, they're even more recognizable" she then added as a modest afterthought "and someone might even recognize me I suppose".

Well as far I could see our famous faces just about put the tin lid on the plan, after all, we couldn't exactly keep our cover with Anakin and Ahsoka attracting hordes of ardent fans wherever they went could we? But naturally the Council or rather Master Skouras (who I was beginning to dislike intensely) had already thought of that. "That will not be a problem" said Master Windu "you will shortly be provided with disguises that will make you unrecognizable". The last loophole of escape had been closed and I was well and truly trapped.


	3. Chapter 2: Disguises

Chapter 2: Disguises 

Well there I was, the fourth player in what I had no doubt would be a farce and I was just praying wouldn't turn out to be a tragedy. The disguises that we were about to be provided with were not nearly as dreadful as I had pessimistically predicated to myself that they would be. After being given our mission by the council, Master Kenobi once again guided us through the Temple, finally bringing us at a small door, in a rather less imposing part of building.

Commander Tano frowned "I've never been here before, where are?"

Kenobi smiled "we like to be self sufficient here in the temple Ahsoka, as you know. It would be rather undignified for a Jedi Knight, if he or she required a disguise for just such a mission as yours, if they had nowhere to turn except a fancy dress shop. Therefore we have a department that specializes in disguises, false documents and so on, for members of our Order when they undertake secret missions and wish to remain incognito".

Kenobi knocked on the door and after some time it slid back to reveal a tiny shrivelled old woman. She came up to just above my elbow, had her snow white hair in a bun at the back of her head and wore a simple Jedi robe. She bore, although I didn't know it at the time, a striking resemblance to Jocasta Nu, the Jedi librarian; unsurprisingly, as she was her elder sister. The ancient Jedi smiled at us "ahh, I thought that you would be along presently, all four of your costumes have been prepared".

"But" asked Skywalker in amazement "how did you know there would be four of us? The Council only just decided to include Captain Hawk in the mission".

To this the old woman only smiled again and said "come along dearies, we haven't got much time I hear". She led us through the doorway into a room the like of which I'd never seen. As long and wide as a cathedral, the walls lined with rack upon rack of cloths, boxes and draws. The floor space was taken up by workbenches, wooden partitions, yet more boxes, and piles of loose clothing everywhere. The Jedi, whose name was Master Merope Nu, wound her way easily between the crates and desks, with Anakin, Ahsoka, Kenobi, Rex and I struggling along in her wake. At last we reached a row of four cubicles, outside of which stood what looked like a regiment of Master Merope's assistants.

We were each shepherded unceremoniously into the cubicles, with Master Kenobi remaining outside. I won't bore you with a full description of my dressing; the search for items that would fit me, the repeated changes of mind by my aides and so on. Needless to say the process would have been tedious in the extreme, if it hadn't been for the fact that one of Merope's underlings was an extremely attractive young lady, from Naboo to judge by her ascent. She was suitably impressed by my battle scars (thank the Force I didn't have many to show her) and by my war stories (thank my abilities as liar that I did).

Eventually when the last finishing touches had been made to my disguise I was permitted to view myself in the room's full length mirror. My costume was as follows; a dark brown jerkin, aged but well worn gauntlets, greaves and pauldrons, a thick cloak and a helmet. The helmet concealed the upper half of my face, thereby (hopefully) assuring that I would not be recognized as a clone. At my side and under my left arm I carried a brace of pistols, DT-12s, heavy duty blasters, with enough stopping power to bring down a charging bull wampa. I was supposed to be a bounty hunter, and I had to admit that they had made a pretty good job of it. However I was about to discover that not all the member of our party had fared so well at Master Merope's hands.

Upon exiting the dressing room I was confronted by a spectacle that truly had to be seen to be believed. Captain Rex sat on a bench, dressed ludicrously in a shabby green and red poncho, a large slouch hat and a bandana concealing his nose and mouth. Slung across his back Rex was carrying a DC-15x sniper rifle, which looked a little battered but no less dangerous than the day it was made. I've never seen a get up to match it; if you'd asked a four year old child to draw you a picture of a bandit you would be presented with something that probably looked rather more credible than Rex. Rex pulled down his bandana and grinned at me in a slightly embarrassed way "I'm a mercenary from Tatooine apparently, they err, said I looked the part".

He looked the part of a prize idiot as far as I was concerned but what I said out loud was "why Jango Fett wouldn't recognize you captain! A better disguise I'm yet to see". There was no point telling the poor bugger that if Coruscant's criminals didn't see through his disguise instantly the only possible reason would be because they were laughing too hard to think straight. A few minutes later Skywalker appeared, dressed in a red robe and hood, and carrying a black walking stick (inside which I had no doubt was concealed his lightsaber). He was playing the part of a smuggler captain or some such rot, and at least looked suitably threatening.

The last of our party to emerge from their cubical was Ahsoka; and when she did it was obvious why. If I hadn't know it was her I'd never have recognized it was my commander; her skin had been dyed light blue-green, her montrals bound up in a tight fitting purple silk turban, and down her back hung a pair of artificial thick blue head-tails, concealing her own, of the kind seen on Twi'leks. She wore a long sleeved dress, of the same colour as her turban, and, looking rather out of place, a small blaster pistol of a variety that I didn't recognize in a holster at her waist. All three of us were taken completely by surprise by the apparition, with Skywalker, Obi-Wan and I looking simply incredulous, and Rex starring as if in a daze.

Ahsoka smiled apologetically "sorry I was awhile, but they insisted on all this". She turned to Skywalker "I'm your secretary or something. I'm the one who makes notes of all the illegal stuff we're carting around". She looked at her much altered appearance in a nearby mirror and grimaced "I hope this skin dye is reversible".

Skywalker chuckled "well I don't think we need worry about anyone recognizing us, especially you Snips, don't you agree Rex, Hawk?"

I nodded "no sir, Master Merope's done a fine job" which by my standards was almost the truth. Rex, who temporarily seemed to have lost the power of speech, simply nodded.

Obi-Wan looked us all up and down, stroking his beard thoughtfully "you will all do very nicely I think" he said at last "Anakin and Ahsoka will be together, a smuggler and his young assistant. Captains Rex and Hawk, you will both act alone".

So there we were, poised to dive head first into Coruscant's criminal underworld, on a mad cap mission to find a nest of terrorists and stop them before they turned the Jedi temple into a smoking crater. Both Skywalker and Ahsoka were raring to go, looking on the whole thing as an exciting adventure. Dress up, sneak around a bit, find the bad guys, out with the lightsabers and save the day. Right up their streets. Rex of course was as stoic as usual, _just another mission, glad to give my life for the republic, a soldiers duty_ and plenty more garbage along those lines. As far as I was concerned the mission stank like a cargo ship full of bantha dung. I just knew that the whole damn thing was going to be a complete unmitigated disaster; I hate being right. 


	4. Chapter 3:Undercover

Chapter 3: Uncover

I cleared my throat awkwardly as the five of us walked down the Jedi Temple's stone entrance steps "Master Kenobi?"

"Yes captain?" the Jedi answered.

"Well sir" I said wretchedly, from my experience Jedis didn't generally much like us clones pointing out the faults in their bloody silly plans "Corusants undercity, well I mean to say sir, it's pretty big, is what I'm driving at. It'll take us a long time to search ever criminal hot spot on the planet".

To my surprise Kenobi didn't seem irritated at my objection, in fact if anything he seemed pleased "an excellent point Hawk, fortunately you probably will not have to search the entire undercity. Master Skouras believes that a likely place for you to begin your search would be the _Gamorrean's Tusk_, a rather uncouth bar frequented by many notorious bounty hunters, criminals and other low-lifes".

"Brilliant!" grinned Ahsoka "we'll have the clanker lovers behind an energy barrier before you know it!"

Kenobi sighed exasperatedly, but smiled as he said "we don't know for certain that they're Separatist sympathisers Ahsoka. There is no need to jump to conclusions. Although" he added "you're probably right".

Well I won't bore you with a description of our journey; it was as uneventful as most airspeeder trips are on Coruscant (that is when the Jedi aren't out disturbing the peace). Eventually we put down on a deserted landing pad and, after wishing us a solemn "may the Force be with you" Kenobi took off.

Of course there was no time like the present for Skywalker, who immediately began to dispense orders "ok Rex, you'll go in first, then you Hawk, we'll bring up the rear" he added indicating himself and his padawan. "Remember, keep a low profile. We're here to try to pick up any lead we can on the terrorists". He turned "when you're ready Rex".

Skywalker, Ahsoka and I watched from around a corner as Rex walked towards the _Gamorrean's Tusk_. I groaned in the privacy of my own head, honestly is that how Rex thought a mercenary walks, half swagger, half constipated strut? I noticed a couple of jawas by the bars door ceasing their incessant chattering to stare in stupefied amazement as the captain strode past them. But apart from raising a few eyebrows the bars patrons didn't seem to suspect anything, at least there weren't any cries of "clone, get him!"

"Right, your turn Hawk, good luck" whispered Skywalker in my ear. Not trusting myself to say anything I simply nodded and began the long walk towards the door I had just seen Rex pass through. To my satisfaction I didn't seem to be attracting any undue attention, apart from a scantily clad twi'lek girl, who fluttered her eyelids and smiled coquettishly at me. Confident that the helmet I was wearing, obscuring as it did the upper portion of my face, made recognition as a clone unlikely, I grinned and looked her up and down appreciatively as I past. Only playing the part of course.

I'm sure many of my readers have been into a bar or club before, and perhaps some of you may have been into a few rather seedy establishments in your time. However, I can assure you that, no matter how rough the crowd, no matter how run-down the area, you've never been in a place quite like the _Gamorrean's Tusk_. If I was a Corusant Security Force officer I'd have arrested the lot of them (or got someone else to) on sight. Smoke filled the air, every patron looked as if they were about to murder the person next to them and the barman had a blast cannon slung across his back. Trying to ignore my growing apprehension I walked towards the bar and suddenly noticed Rex.

"Force damn it" I whispered under my breath, for standing against a pillar was not Rex the mercenary from Tatooine, but unmistakably Rex of the 501st. Standing at parade rest and glaring angrily around at the other patrons, honestly, why didn't he just sing the Republic galactic anthem and have done with it! "Rex!" I hissed out of the corner of my mouth as I stopped next to him, in the pretext of eyeing up another of the bars buxom young ladies "act casual, for Force's sake, you'll give the whole game away!"

Rex started and then nodded, doing his best to appear casual. He still stood out like a Wookiee ballerina, but not as badly as he had done before. Poor old Rex I thought as I resumed my journey towards the bar, he wasn't cut out for this spying lark. Don't get me wrong, if I had to be in a firefight there's no one in the galaxy I'd rather have watching my back than Rex. A better shot you'll struggle to find, damn good in hand to hand combat to, and unlike many 'a clone, Rex can think on his feet. In fact I still didn't know just how much of an individual thinker he was at the time, and I wouldn't until Order 66. But again that's another story. But he was born for fierce battles and ferocious commando raids, not all this sneaking about.

At last I reached the bar and took a seat on one of the stools. The bartender was, I suppose technically human, although only in the broadest possible terms. Well over seven feet tall, built like a Gamorrean and with a face that no mother, no matter how drunk, could love. He growled at me, which I took to be an enquiry whether or not I would care for a drink and I was on the point of ordering a one (which I sorely needed) when I stopped myself just in time. I shuddered as I realized how close I'd come to potentially revealing myself. You see we clones don't just share a face, we share a voice to. My mandalorian accent might just have been enough to expose my identity.

Thinking fast I settled on a Babali drawl "why thank you boy, I reckon I'll take..." I hesitated while I considered my choice and just happened to glance to my right, and very nearly yelped in shock. Sitting beside me, complete with broad-brimmed hat and duster coat, was none other than Cad Bane himself. I'd thought it was a bit odd that there'd been a spare seat at the bar when the place was so busy. Force, people knew better than to sit next to the most dangerous bounty hunter in the galaxy! I recovered well, concealing that fact that I felt as though my heart was thrashing about in my throat, and said "I reckon I may just have whatever this gentleman is a' havin".

It was the barman's turn to hesitate for a second, before grunting "one Bane special".

Now I could have let that pass, and I would have liked nothing better, but I suppose a part of my defective brain thinks like a clone should, remember the mission and all that, because I frowned and said "Bane? Now boy that a' wouldn't be Cad Bane would it?" The man's discomfort was palpable, again he hesitated before nodding. Well, I thought to myself, here goes nothing. [Author's Note: I will be amazed if anyone can tell me what movie this is a reference to] "Pardon me mister partner, who is this Cad Bane?" The barman's mouth fell open in amazement "I keep a' herin his name everywhere I go on this planet, who might this boy be precisely?"

Throughout the conversation the bounty hunter beside me hadn't so much as moved, only now did he raise a the brim of his hat with a finger "That would be me".

Once again I valiantly maintained the illusion that me bowls weren't trying to evacuate and nodded my head in polite recognition "ahh, now ain't that the darndest thing, I was so hopin' I might run into you sir".

Cad Bane smiled his easy smile and said "And why might that be?"

"Well now you see, you an I are in the same business as it were, and I thought that you might well, be able to point the way to a nice contract. One suitable for a gentleman like myself".

Bane smiled again "I thought that you just said that all you knew of me was my name?"

Controlling the impulse to run like a startled swamp rat I returned his smile "well you see boy, I kinda had an inclin' that you might just be the gentleman I was searchin' for. So I thought I might just do a little fishin' an see".

Bane eyed me for a moment and I was about to either leg it for the door or go for my blaster when the Duros bounty hunter chuckled "you know friend I like you; what do people call you?"

Horrified I realized that I hadn't come up with a fake name, and whilst I desperately racked by brains for one I played for time "what do people call me? Why that'd depend on the people you had in mind. But friends, acquaintances and business associates, why they call me...Hake". I know, awful, but you try to think up a new name with a cold blooded (literally) killer sitting in front of you.

Still it seemed to pass and Bane nodded "alright Hake, listen up, I can think of a few contracts that you might be interested in. However, if you like, I can offer you a cut of the contract that I, and a few, as you say _business associates_, are on at the moment".

I realized with a thrill of hope that Bane might just be about to spill the beans about the Jedi Temple plot. If he told me I could make my excuses, run and tell Skywalker and Co that I'd uncovered the plot and take a generous portion of the glory when the Jedi order rounded up these damn mercenaries. Concealing my excitement I nodded "and what might this current contract be exactly?"

Bane glanced up and then grinned "perfect timing, take a look at the door".

Turning I looked towards the door of the _Gamorrean's Tusk_, but couldn't see anything apart from a couple of fresh patrons entering the bar. Suddenly my heart, which had been pounding with excitement, seemed to stop beating, for I recognized the new comers. Surely it must be some mistake, surely just a horrible coincidence.

"You see the tall gentleman in the red robe and hood, and the, ha, _twi'lek_ girl?" My meagre hopes that Bane had been indicated something other than the Jedi and his padawan were extinguished. Not waiting for an answer Bane continued "that, my friend is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and his _togruta_ padawan Ahsoka Tano. And" he added grinning still wider "if you would care to look in the direction of that pillar, that ludicrously dressed individual is clone Captain Rex of the 501st legion".

It was like a nightmare, Bane and his fellow bounty hunters knew about us, and if they knew about Skywalker, Ahsoka and Rex, then they must, I realized with growing horror, know that I to was a spy! Bane must have known who I was from the start and had been playing me along until the Jedi arrived. I wanted to explain myself, beg for mercy, run, do something! But I was frozen with shock, my voice gone. Bane winked at me "you'll enjoy this" and so saying rose from his seat, drawing as he did so a brace of blaster pistols and said loudly "good evening Jedi, we've been expecting you". 


	5. Chapter 4: Hunters to Hunted

Chapter 4: Hunters to Hunted

You can't deny that those Jedi are quick on the uptake; the moment Bane spoke Skywalker and Ahsoka went for their concealed lightsabers. However they barely had time to move before Bane called out "I wouldn't do that if I were you Jedi, and drop that blaster clone!" There was something in Bane's voice that made the three of them hesitate "Look around you" he crowed, with an evil grin. Seemingly rising from every other table, stepping forth from shadows or throwing back hoods emerged bounty hunter after bounty hunter.

I only recognized a few; Aurra Sing, rising from her chair, her wicked smile and blaster rifle both fixed firmly on Ahsoka. Bossk, his forked tongue flickering between his peg like teeth, directed his Relby-v10 towards the Jedi, a micro grenade launcher that no soldier in their right mind would have considered using in such a confined space as a crowded bar. The only other bounty hunter that I knew by sight was the Rodian Greedo; the little squirt was standing beside Rex, a blaster pistol in his hand and a self satisfied smile plastered across his stupid face. Many of the bars patrons reached for their weapons, but upon realizing that the mercenaries were only after the Republic spies, they relaxed and settled down to watch the show.

Well we were sunk, and I knew it. Somehow the bounty hunters had known we were coming, and now Skywalker, Ahsoka, Rex and most importantly yours truly were going to be murdered in a back alley and dropped into the sewers. "Now" said Bane "drop your weapons, _all_of them" I was about to throw down my blasters when Bane turned to me and added "Hake, why don't you do the honours and see if any of our guests have forgotten anything".

At first I didn't understand what the damn bounty hunter was talking about before it suddenly dawned on me that he didn't know who I was. How was it possible? My disguise was no better than those of my comrades, well except Rex's. "Err s-sure thing boy" I stuttered "hands up you Republic scum suckers!" I walked across to the trio and gave each a perfunctory search; Skywalker was carrying no other weapon besides his lightsaber, and Ahsoka had already thrown down the blaster at her hip. However I knew that Rex always kept a miniature blaster behind his breast plate and I was near certain that he would have it now. Sure enough, concealed within the folds of his tunic I felt it. Turning back to Bane I announced "ain't nothin' to find that I can see".

Skywalker, restrained by two of the bounty hunters, glared at Bane with an expression of such violent loathing that it was a wonder the Duros mercenary was able to continue to smile sardonically at the Jedi. If Skywalker had been looking at me like that I'd have been running for my life in the opposite direction. "So how did you know we were coming" he growled at last?

Bane's smile broadened "I was informed that you, your youngling, and a clone would be coming here today, and that if I should organize a warm welcome for you, we would be well paid".

Ahsoka's angry glare, both over the bounty hunters trap and over being referred to as youngling, became tinged with confusion "but who tipped you off?"

"Why" said a cool hard voice from the door "I did of course".

Turning I beheld the figure advancing across the bar, but my brain refused to accept what my eyes were telling it. "Master Skouras" gasped the young padawan in shocked amazement?

The grey haired Jedi Master smiled coldly "surprised? Well I suppose I can't blame you for that, after all you and your master are hardly paragons of intelligence. And as for a clone" he added turning to Rex "well need I say more?"

Skywalker's face, which had been a blank mask of shock, suddenly split into a hideous scowl as he roared "traitor!"

Skouras chuckled "traitor? Well I suppose if we are going to be technical I suppose I am a traitor. But under the circumstances I prefer the term turn-coat. And the coat which I am adopting is that of a Separatist. You see" he said walking towards the struggling Jedi "I am a natural survivor, and I have come to see that the Sith and the Separatists are going to triumph in this conflict. I therefore have determined to be on the right side when this war is over and the separatist banner flies over the senate building". Looking back its odd when you think about it, the traitorous scum was half right, the Sith would win, but at the head of the Republic not the clankers. Funny old galaxy isn't?

"However" continued Skouras "you can hardly expect the Separatist high command and the Sith to take my word that I have truly deserted from the Jedi order. I could very easily be a double agent. And so I shall prove my loyalty today".

"By blowing up the Temple" snarled Skywalker?

Skouras actually laughed "blow up the Temple? Hardly. Honestly do you have any idea how difficult it would be to smuggle enough explosives into the Jedi Temple to destroying the building? Any sensible person would have realized that any plot to blow up the Temple could not possibly succeed. But luckily I was able to count on our Order's rising levels of paranoia to guarantee that they would take the bait. I then chose a few individuals that have been causing the Confederacy considerable annoyance in recent months, you Master Skywalker, your padawan and this clone officer known as 'Rex'. It was then a matter of recommending to the Council that you three would be the best choices for the assignment". He leaned forward towards Skywalker, his lined face creased into an unpleasant smirk "it was really too easy".

At last I realized what had happened; Skouras had organized the whole thing, who was going on the mission, where they were going and I'd be prepared to bet had a good idea of what they would wearing as well. However he hadn't been there when Obi-Wan decided to include me at the last minute, I was safe, for now.

"And now" he said straightening up, suddenly businesslike "I'm afraid the time has come to dispose of the three of you".

He'd probably have had the bounty hunters do it right then and there if it hadn't been for the huge barman who scowled and shouted "not in ere, take em' outside!" I'd have expected the bounty hunters and the traitorous Jedi to ignore him, but glancing over my shoulder I saw he had un-slung his blaster cannon and looked ready to use it. Even a lightsaber isn't much use against a shotgun at close range.

Scowling in irritation Skouras nodded towards the door and the bounty hunters began pushing their three captives towards it. I realized that this was the moment to either act or do nothing. If I tried to rescue my comrades I'd be signing my own death warrant. However if I did nothing and word go back to the Jedi Council that I had sat and twiddled my thumbs whilst two members of their order had been murdered, Force it wouldn't matter that I couldn't have helped, that wouldn't save me! It came down to this; would I rather go up against a pack of savage bounty hunters or one day find myself in a dark alley with Masters Yoda, Mace Windu and Plo Koon advancing on me. "Track you down; you knew that we would...". To my Horror I realized that going up against a gang of angry Jedi meant certain death, going up against Bane and company meant almost certain death. Oh Force!

Almost every bounty hunter and Skouras were focusing their attentions on the two Jedi, whilst Rex was guarded only by myself and Bossk. Mentally praying to the Force to save my unworthy hide I took a firm grip on the barrel of one of my blaster pistols and thought 'I wish I had a better plan than this!' "Hey Trandoshan" the reptilian mercenary turned to me "think fast!" So saying I brought the blaster slashing up, the butt smashing into the Trandoshan's flattened nose like a sledgehammer; I heard something break and Bossk bellowed in agony. And if it hadn't been for an incredible stroke of luck Rex, Skywalker, Ahsoka and I would have all been dead in a moment.

However maybe the Force was looking out for me after all because the bounty hunter staggered backwards, crashing into a table at which were seated an elderly Tusken, a couple of humans and a Neimoidian, all of whom seemed to have lost interest in the pantomime playing out behind them and were instead talking amongst themselves. The Tusken was apparently displeased at having his discussion interrupted and relived his feelings by taking an ill-aimed swing at Bossk with his staff, which instead connected with a Wookiee at the next table. The great hairy giant roared in furry, spun around and struck out at the nearest patron, who happened to be a colossal Chevin, who in turn...well as the saying goes, one thing led to another.

In less than ten seconds the entire bar was a maddened free-for-all, and this being the _Gamorrean's Tusk_, practically every patron was armed to the teeth. Well Hawk, I thought to myself, you've done your bit, time to leave. In attempt to avoid attracting unwanted attention I crawled across the floor, from table to table, which were thankfully bolted down. Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind and roughly flipped me onto my back. I found myself starring into the face of one of the bounty hunters I hadn't recognized, a human dressed in sand coloured robes, whose hands immediately fastened around my throat like steel clamps. Gasping for breath I tried to throw him off but he only tightened his grip, his scared face snarling down at me like a rabid wolf. Just as my vision began to blur my attackers head suddenly burst like an over-ripe watermelon. Coughing I sat up looked around for my deliverer, finally spotting Rex taking cover behind a table which had been ripped from its moorings. He grinned and nodded an acknowledgment, which I returned, before diving for the nearest table myself.

After waiting a moment to get my breath back I started trying to get my bearings and finally worked out in what direction the doors lay. Turning my head I groaned, it seemed as if ever criminal on Coruscant was fighting around the main exit, either pursuing fleeing opponents or themselves trying to escape. No escape that way. It seemed as though the fighting was thinner on my left, and although that wasn't as good as a way out it was decidedly better than nothing. The reason for the fewer brawls in this part of the bar became suddenly obvious. Even before I saw the duelling Jedis I heard them, the furious hissing and crackling of their lightsabers cutting through the sounds of the battle raging around them.

Skywalker and Ahsoka, who had both apparently recovered their weapons, were locked in combat with Master Skouras, his purple blade and their blue and green ones moving so fast that it seemed as if the three of them were fighting in a cobweb of flashing light. Incredibly the old Jedi seemed to be pushing Skywalker and Ahsoka back, his lightsaber striking like a deadly snake, forcing the knight and his padawan onto the defensive. I was watched the duel from under yet another table and once again came to the conclusion that it was high time I was out of here. Glancing about desperately I spotted what I had almost given up hope of seeing, a back door! The barman, shotgun in one hand and cash register under his arm, was slipping out even as I watched. All I had to do was to sprint across the bar, dive through the door and I was home free.

Crouching, I steeled myself to make the break for it "one two th..." I muttered before what felt like an AT-TE came crashing down on me. The tables of the _Gamorrean's Tusk_, besides being bolted down, had been designed with hard living in mind. Built like bomb shelters they had thus far proved relatively safe areas in which to hide from the battle raging in the bar. However when two brawling patrons, a Herglic the size of a small tank, and a Barabel clutching an unfeasibly large knife, fell heavily against the table it gave up the struggle and collapsed. Pinned agonizingly to the floor, feeling as if every one of my rips was broken, my finger tightened on the trigger of my blaster involuntarily. The blaster bolt narrowly missed a running Gungan, ricochet of the bar's metalic wall and struck Skouras between the shoulder blades.

The traitorous Jedi staggered just as he was about to run Skywalker through. Skouras swayed on the pot, his face showing only a look of mild surprise, before the light of life left his eyes and he toppled full length to the floor. My head was spinning and I felt sure that I was about to lose consciousness; I moaned as my head seemed to fill was a terrible screaming, like demons out of hell, or perhaps a banshee or a...siren! The police had arrived at last. Just before my eyes went dark I spotted Cad Bane, Aurra Sing and Bossk, the latter with green blood gushing liberally from his nose, fleeing through the bars back door. Just before making his escape Bane turned, looked at me and mouthed '_I'll be seeing you again_'. Great, I thought as I passed out, a nemesis, just what I need.


	6. Chapter 5: Epilogue

Chapter 5: Epilogue

I awoke in a hospital bed; the bed was comfortable and the room designed for one, I wasn't in a clone hospital then. Glancing around the room quickly told me where I'd been taken, the smooth grey stone and aesthetically pleasing arches around the door and window could only mean one thing, the Jedi Temple. On one side of my bed, now thankfully back in uniform, sat Rex, on the other General Skywalker, both sound asleep. Rex's arm was in a sling and the Jedi's head was bandaged, but apart from that they seemed none the worse for battle royal in the _Gamorrean's Tusk_. Looking towards the window I saw Ahsoka, her skin returned to its usual orange hue, sitting in the window seat and starring out at the sun rising behind the black silhouettes of Coruscant's skyscrapers.

As if sensing my eyes resting upon her she suddenly looked around and, seeing that I was sitting up shouted joyously "you're awake!" Seeing me wince at the volume of her voice she repeated at a lower decibel level "you're awake". Rushing over she wasted no time in rousing the sleeping pair on either side of me and soon I was surrounded by well wishers.

"How are you feeling captain?"

"Anything I can get you Hawk?"

"Head alright Hawk?"

Feeling slightly put-upon I nodded "I'm fine, I think" glancing across at Rex I asked "anything I should be worried about" indicating my bandaged chest.

The captain shook his head "you were really lucky apparently, nothing worthy of bacta treatment anyway. Just a lot of bruising all round".

"And" Ahsoka said excitedly "you want even have to worry about that for long! My friend Barriss will be along later to give you a force healing, she's really good at those". I smiled, both at the attractive prospects of being free of a feeling of general throbbing pain in my chest and head, and also of seeing the elfin figure of Padawan Offee again, always a pleasure.

Skywalker looked at me seriously "you saved our lives and the mission, you know that don't you Hawk? If you hadn't started that riot the three of us would be dead."

"And you killed Skouras" added Ahsoka "that was an amazing shot by the way!"

I shrugged; for once I had, sort of, legitimately saved the day and yet I didn't feel in the mood for taking the glory. It was probably the combination of exhaustion and a splitting headache. "The trick shot was just a fluke" I said "sheer dumb luck". Clearly none of them believed me. I looked up into the smiling faces of my Jedi commanders and my fellow clone; they thought that I'd acted the way I had out of sheer bravery, rather than perverse cowardice. I'd like to think that somewhere, under all the layers of deceit and spinelessness there's just a drop of courage, of the same kind that the likes of Rex have by the bucket load. Perhaps some part of me chose to hit Bossk out of loyalty to my comrades...but I doubt it.

I was a fraud and a coward, but I was to be praised as a hero. My new found conscience was about to send another wave of guilt my way when suddenly the door hissed open and Barriss Offee walked in. "Now" she said smiling down at me "where does it hurt?"

My shoulder angel vanished just as quickly as he'd come, of course I was a hero! And as a hero I should of course receive the best and most thorough medical care attractive young women could provide. "All over" I said with a contented sigh, lowering my head back onto my pillow.

The End

[Author's Note: Well I hope you enjoyed reading the story, I'm afraid that it didn't turn out quite as well as I hoped. Still it had its moments. Please review! If you would like to hear about Hawk's adventures (or rather misadventures) on Geonosis please read _Getting Carried Away by Geonosians_]


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